OVW TV 1042 – The Titan Returns
The show opened with a ten bell salute for Harley Race, who sadly passed on August 1st. He was a true legend and will be sadly missed.
On commentary this week are Gilbert Corsey, Josh Ashcraft, and Ted McNaler. They hyped up the Saturday Night Special, with Corey Storm’s name getting a really nice reaction from the fans.
Santa’s Summer Surprise Match For The OVW Anarchy Title: ‘The Warlord Of Weird’ Sinn Bodhi [champion] vs. Drew Hernandez
As the champion, Sinn got to pick the stipulation. Here, they were simple: there were presents scattered around the ring area and whoever got to them first, got to open them and use what was inside. The crowd were a little quiet during Sinn’s entrance but did start up a chant for him when the bell rang. The presents led to some interesting little ideas, ranging from Hernandez throwing Tabasco Sauce in Sinn’s eyes, to Sinn dousing a table with lighter fluid and trying to set it alight by whittling. As a bonus, Gilbert got in a few Mario Kart references after a banana came into play. Sinn got the win to retain his title with a Talulah Belle. After the match, Drew got a measure of revenge, throwing Sinn through a table in the corner.
This was entertaining in a chaotic sort of way. It was basically a mix of plunder and comedy. If that’s how you like your hardcore wrestling, then this will be right up your street. I was happy to see Drew get the final say too, as it kinda hints at this continuing as a feud. Not only did Sinn shine in his empty arena brawl with Shiloh Jonze a little while back, but he’s also had things like the Wheel of Misfortune match with Funnybone in Freakshow Wrestling. Meanwhile, Drew is looking to be in good shape and is always great when it comes to cheating. If they can get some sort of wild battle going, I think it would be pretty awesome.
The Champ Speaks
Justin Smooth was outside, cutting a promo about Corey Storm. It was short and pretty much amounted to him saying he’s going to win. The promo was fine.
Trouble In Paradise: Entourage 2.0
DL3 had a bottle of laxatives, and snuck it into his locker, just as Shiloh Jonze came in. They had a bit of an argument about whether they can trust each other, and DL3 ended up giving Shiloh a drink. He insisted that Shiloh drink all of it. Uh-oh…that can’t end well for Shiloh.
OVW TV Title Gauntlet Match
Shiloh was out first, accompanied by DL3 and Big D. He was beginning to feel the effects of the laxatives already. His opponent was the man whose head is attracted to ring posts, Ashton Cove. To prove that point, even though he was clearly beginning to struggle, Shiloh made quick work of Ashton by throwing him headfirst into the ring post. Ashton’s unconscious body was rolled to the corner again.
Sam Thompson was out next and immediately picked up on a stink coming from Shiloh. This was relatively competitive given the running gag with the laxatives. The Boy Wonder was unable to capitalize on either Shiloh’s discomfort or DL3 ‘accidentally’ tripping his stablemate though. Shiloh scored the pin with a rope-assisted roll-up.
‘The Real Deal’ Randall Floyd was the next entrant, and immediately started taking it to Shiloh. Unfortunately for the former champ, Shiloh’s bowel issues meant that his ab stretch had to be released quickly. The following high back body drop saw Shiloh finally find some relief though, and the now soiled star eliminated himself by walking out.
Dustin Jackson’s music hit and he and Floyd continued their competitive feud with some pin trade-offs. This was technically the smoothest match-up in the gauntlet, with boy guys looking great in terms of both their offense and their selling. I was a little worried how they’d book this one, as the gauntlet setting means that one getting a clear win over the other is more likely. As it happened, they fought to the back and forth time limit draw. I wasn’t actually aware that there were time limits in the gauntlet encounters until the commentary team mentioned that each one has a ten-minute limit. The crowd wasn’t happy with both guys being eliminated in this way.
OVW TV Champion Zo was the final entrant, which meant that he was the default winner. Jay Bradley came out during his celebration though and told him that the people love chanting Zo because they love him. He didn’t want to see him screw the fans, so offered to fight him. Commissioner Dean Hill allowed it and Bradley started laying into the champ with some strikes. His attempt to springboard over the champ saw him land awkwardly though and hurt his ankle. The crew started helping Bradley to the back, but when Zo when to check on him,, he revealed he was playing possum and slammed Zo headfirst into the killer ring post. Bradley rolled him back into the ring and scored the pin to win the title.
That was really good. Shiloh was superb in his role and carried the early part of the gauntlet. Once things got serious, Dustin Jackson and Randall Floyd continued their run of good chemistry. Meanwhile, the shenanigans with Jay Bradley were well executed, with the commentary team doing a great job of putting the injury over as legitimate until the ruse was revealed. Excellent work.
Bats
We got a video package covering Valerie Vermin’s baseball bat attack last week, then she came out to cut a promo. She started to talk about what she did last week, then one of the referees came out with a microphone to interrupt. He informed her that Dean Hill has suspended her and she needs to leave. Valerie smacked him with the bat and got ready to continue the assault, but Megan Bayne ran in to make the save. Though the champs power gave her an early advantage, the bat was a great equalizer, and Valerie soon cut Megan down to size. Having made her point, she left.
When we returned after the break, the commentary team confirmed that Megan Bayne has insisted on still having the match at the Saturday Night Special. Dean Hill ahs agreed, but as Valerie Vermin is suspended, it will be an unsanctioned match. Which means no rules.
If Corey Storm Wins, He Gets Five Minutes With Shannon The Dude: Corey Storm vs. ‘The Snake’ Adam Revolver [w/Shannon The Dude]
Corey was back in ‘Defenders Of The Earth’ era Flash Gordon colours this week. As you’d expect, this was essentially a handicap match, with Corey having to contend with Adam Revolver and Shannon The Dude throughout the duration. The match went back and forth with all three on fine form, and Corey got the expected win with a hard kick. That led into…
Corey Storm vs. Shannon The Dude
With Adam Revolver banned from ringside, Shannon tried to scarper before the bell, but was chased back into the ring by a small horde of referees. Before the match could get started though, ‘The Trinidad Titan’ Justin Smooth appeared and smashed Corey with a chair. Shannon insisted that the bell be rung, and immediately scored the pin. Smooth nailed a couple more chair shots and the show went off air with him posing over Corey with his OVW Heavyweight Title held aloft.
Overall
This was awesome. There was absolutely nothing on the show that I disliked, with each segment not only being enjoyable but serving a purpose in the bigger picture. The roster feels like it has stabilized a lot recently, and people are falling into suitable roles.
Let’s pick some highlights:
MVP: Another week where everyone had their working boots on, but I’m going to give this to Shiloh Jonze. His ring work is consistently good, and he does so many little things that work really well. For example, look at how he reverses Irish Whips; it’s smooth and stands out. This week, he was playing up the comedy with the laxative angle. What impressed me was that he balanced the comedic facial expressions with keeping the actual moves looking good so well. Great work.
Best Match: This goes to the OVW TV Title Gauntlet. The match was really split into three parts. The first saw the comedy, which also advanced the potential Entourage 2.0 split. Then came the serious portion where Randall Floyd and Dustin Jackson continued their even, competitive feud. Finally, we got the heel moment, with Jay Bradley sneaking his way to the OVW TV Title. The whole thing was set out really well, and nothing went too long or too short.
Best Angle/Promo: This one has to be the Valerie Vermin angle. Until last week, I wasn’t sold on her being a viable threat to Megan Bayne. The baseball attack then gave her an edge that she sorely needed. This week, it hit several points. First, the suspension meant that there was some consistency in how Dean Hill is applying the rules. The bat being used on Megan showed that it’s effective. Finally, the match now being an unsanctioned one means the bat is now in play for the title match too.
So, those were my thoughts. But what about yourselves? Did you watch the show? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.
Matt Doyle Media 